The Past
by anyabar1987
Summary: How could Dylan and Tenaya end up as they were?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Power rangers and would never be able to dream of owning the rights to this show.

Authors note: Aslynn is the name of a character in another fic that I am in the process of writing. If and when that story is published it is important that Aslynn here and Aslynn in that story are almost completely unrelated. The character in my other story did inspire this character and by the time I had realized that this Aslynn was forming herself into her own story the name was too wormed in my mind and I was unable to rename her.

In the both stories Aslynn is blinded at a young age by a virus and is extremely bright with music.

The Before

"Dad, let me do this! I know I can get through with this message."

"No Cory! Corinth city is too far away. We need to just wait for our turn to be evacuated." A man pushed his chair out from a table.

"Dad we won't make it till they get to us with the evacuations. Someone needs to be told that the virus has spread faster then they thought it would." Cory stood up and paced the small kitchen

"Cory please sit down. Your Father is right, the evacuations will get to us soon enough. We have survived this long we can wait another week or two for the transports to come and get us." A woman said coming in the door with a pail of water to boil.

"Mom, we may be able to survive but Aslynn what about her? You always say her needs come first, the Venjix virus has cut our electricity. We may be able to walk and get around but you know she won't be able to or at least not that fast." Cory said going to the stairs "I am going to get her for breakfast. Sometimes I think I take care of her better then you are."

"Cory, we need to stop babying her, she can fend for herself."

"Dad, she is scared! Why can't you see this? Sometimes I think you are blinder then she is." Cory completed his ascent up the stairs.

As he got to the top he saw Aslynn's door open and she was sitting on her bed with a pair of headphones on staring blankly at the wall. He fingers looked busy and he knew she was counting out in her head the movements she would need to play the song she was listening to. While she was unsure of moving around in places she was unfamiliar with she was never a stranger with music, specifically piano music. What was funny was she couldn't hum the tunes but she could play the tunes better then anyone her Piano teacher had ever seen.

He stepped into her room causing her to jump. Evidently the song had hit a low note and she had heard him. "You can't scare me you know? The upside to my blindness is that my hearing is far better then yours."

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I was coming to get you for Breakfast." Cory grinned

Aslynn smiled and stood however she hit a sunbeam and winced. "Cory where are my sunglasses?" she asked as she felt for her table.

"Are your eyes bothering you?" Cory grabbed her glasses and laid them in her hands.

"When do they not? I hate having to wear these cursed things in the house." Aslynn put the glasses over her eyes and took her brothers arm.

"This is why I wish I could get you to Corinth today. We could have an apartment with electricity so the curtains can be drawn. You could have your brail computer and voice reader."

"I could charge my iPod, it is nearly dead. I do not enjoy the thought of having to go back to practicing my music with my brail music book. You try reading brail and timing out movements at the same time." Aslynn complained as she walked down the stairs next to Cory.

"After breakfast would you like to go for a walk with me?" Cory whispered in her ear.

"Where would we go?"

"To the park, we could talk there alone. I have something I need to tell you without others hearing. He whispered as he waited for her to get her balance on the last step."

Aslynn walked over to the table with her hands out and sat at her seat at the table. And organized her plate and silverware in front of her so that she knew where everything was.

"Aslynn, I hate to say this but with times getting tough you are going to have to not rely on your brother around the house anymore. Your mother and I feel this is the best way. We know you can be independent and we just want you to help us out till we can be evacuated to Corinth."

"Fine just don't rearrange the furniture because you know I won't use my cane in the house. I don't even like using it outside the house." Aslynn protested.

"Protesting using the cane is not going to get you a seeing eye dog any faster. You were on the list but who knows when they will be able to complete that request." Her Father responded

"Fine, just as long as you promise to try to get me on the first evacuation trip to Corinth." She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Aslynn they will take people as they get to the loading docks. There is no preference order, even if you have a disability. If they gave in to everyone with a handicap they would only get those people to Corinth. We promise we will help you get on that bus as soon as we can."

"That is your problem Dad. You wish I never contracted that virus when I was a baby. You prefer people who are able bodied to people like me who have disadvantages. I am surprised you haven't thrown me into an institution by now. heck I am even surprised you allow anyone to help me around the house." Aslynn bit back as she pushed her plate away and paced her way to the door where she grabbed her cane and coat.

Cory glared at his Father before going to the door and helped his sister out the door. When they got to the park Cory led his sister to their secret spot.

As she sat on the ground she felt the tree behind her, "We are by Gramp's tree" she said as she felt the tree bark remembering sitting against it while their Gramp would tell them stories on the hot summer days when he had still been alive. "Cory do you still have his watch?"

"Yes I have it, I brought it with me today actually. Do you want to wear it?" Cory held the watch out to her.

"No, just let me see the key." She took one of the two necklaces from his hand. "do I have the second key or the first one?" she fingered the key a little bit.

"You have the second key, the one that doesn't move the watch without its twin." Cory said letting her feel the other key.

"I have always been amazed at this watch, to think Gramp made this watch with his own hands when Dad was little." Aslynn smiled, "Remember how he would let us wear it as he told us his stories?"

"Yes I remember and I remember how he gave it to us just a week before he died and told us it was our time to watch the clock." Cory laughed

"Which is why I gave you the watch because I can't exactly watch it because it doesn't have a voice reader to tell me the time it reads and the hands are behind glass so I can't touch them to figure out where they are facing." Aslynn smiled as she reached out to feel the engravings on the watch.

"The reason why I wanted to bring you out here was to tell you that I am going to go and take you to Corinth whether Dad likes it or not. we will leave tomorrow at first light, news is that Venjix has been stopping and destroying more and more evacuation busses. We need to get through before it is completely impossible."

"But how will we get there? you can't buy gas anymore because there is no electricity to pump it."

"My friends and I started stock piling it a few weeks ago, when it was first rumored that our area would lose power just as other towns have. Every day we went and filled gas tanks with gas. I have approximately fifty gallons in the trunk of my car. More then enough to get us to Corinth and back at least twice.

"I will put your computers in the back seat, though I know once inside Corinth they will probably have to confiscate them." Cory said as he leaned back and let the wind brush his cheeks.

"Don't bother, I was reading some of the information and it says that Corinth will provide all the items needed to their citizens with special needs. Which means they already have all the equipment I need there, I will just need to submit a request form with my citizenship registration." Aslynn smiled, "I did my homework as well and ordered all the special needs pamphlets when they became available."

"Then if that is the case why don't I go get my car after mom and dad leave for the day. We could leave today then." Cory said as he stood up, "If we leave by lunch time we could be in Corinth by sundown tomorrow."

"That means a hot shower and real food." Aslynn smiled, "I could go for that!"

"Then it is settled, why don't we go back to the house and we can pack quickly." Cory said taking her hand as Aslynn rose to her feet and unfolded her cane.

"Cory what does the sky look like? Someone said that it was turning an icky color because Venjix is trying to pollute the air and kill us."

"It is turning a yellowish color. A pure blue sky is very rare these days, but the pollution isn't that bad here yet. Which is part of the reason I want to get you out of here. the winds are turning and the pollution could be on us by the end of the week, before our evacuation could even possibly be upon us. People say it is odorless and the only way you can tell is by how thick the color of the smog is."

When they got back to the house and made sure their parents had already left for the day Cory showed Aslynn the stockpile of food. "I have been taking some of the no heat rations from the kitchen for the last couple of days. We have more then enough rations to last us a week and I have the directions to Corinth pinned to my dash board. I even got them punched up into brail."

"Are you sure you haven't been planning this for a while?" Aslynn grinned as she reached through the front window and felt the dashboard. "These directions don't sound too hard to follow, I think I will be able to navigate."

"That is what I was hoping to hear." Cory smiled as he started back to the house, "Why don't we go get you a few outfits to take to Corinth?"

In her room she knelt by her drawers, "you know the only think the matter with mom's system is that I can't tell what is polka dots and what is plaid, someone who can see has to fold and put my clothes in the respective slots or hang them up on the proper hangers." She complained as she picked out a few outfits that would go together and look good on her at the same time. As she took them out she placed them in small bags and with her brail labeler which didn't require electricity she made out tags of what was inside each bag.

After stuffing those into her backpack along with some reading material she slipped the bag onto her back and took her brothers elbow.

After climbing into the car and getting her seatbelt on she settled the bag between her feet and reached out to get a sense on where the directions were located. After brushing her fingers over them she brushed slower reading every direction in detail. "Cory I think we are ready. Why don't we hit the road so we can be out of town before we have to stop for something to eat.

Cory drove the car through the abandoned streets of their town. No one drove their cars anymore even if they had gas. Gas was a luxury that couldn't be wasted and all cars that had some gas in them were being saved for if there was need to make a mad run out of town.

"Cory do you think Mom and Dad will really make it to Corinth city? they seem to be procrastinating, people have already left our town because the evacuation busses came to a town nearby. What if they don't actually come to our town and that other town last week was our last chance." Aslynn mumbled as she leaned her head back waiting for Cory to ask her where they needed to go next.

"I don't know but I am sure they will get there some how, I mean they are our parents, we can only hope that they find their way to Corinth." Cory said as he turned onto the interstate, "What exit do we need?"

"Exit thirty-four" Aslynn read to her brother. "Can we turn on the radio and see if there might be some music?"

"I don't think there would be but I have a few CD's on my visor, I can put one of those in?" Cory asked

"I think I will pass You don't exactly listen to classical." Aslynn sighed as she looked out the window feeling some rays of sunlight on her face made up for the lack of classical music. If she had thought of it she would have put a CD in her bag except she didn't have any CD's she was entirely digital in her music collection. Cory had an old car so he had made some CD's to listen to.

Cory frowned and remembered the watch around his neck as he drove he turned his key inside the watch and made it play one of the songs. The only song that Aslynn could actually whistle to.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As they drove on the cities began to disappear and turn to sand, evidence that Venjix had already decimated areas surrounding Corinth. They had been driving straight through the desert wastelands for about an hour trying to follow compass directions when Aslynn started getting jumpy and turning her head to hear a faint noise better that had yet to reach Cory's ears.

"Cory can you make your car go any faster? We have a lot of something following us and it doesn't sound friendly. I heard that Venjix has armies of robots that patrol the wastelands looking for unarmed civilians."

"I know but I think we can outrun them, we just won't be stopping anytime soon, are you ready?" Cory said looking at his sister and placing his hand on hers before looking back to the desert in front of him and stepped on the gas to make his car go as fast as it would in the thick sand.

They didn't get far before a barricade formed in front of them causing them to stop short and be thrown forward. The robots came and ripped the doors off of the cars and dragged the two of them out of the car before they even had a chance to fight back. They were tied into a chain of people who had also been captured.

"Cory don't let me go." Aslynn tensed up and she looked around trying to sense where she was in the crowd. But before she could the line started to move and people tripped on her heals causing her to whimper.

"Get a move on it little lady, they will whip us if we hold up the line." A grumpy old man harrumphed.

"She is going as fast as she can, she is blind." Cory turned angrily at the man.

"these robots don't care if the little girl has no legs, they will whip her no matter what."

"Aslynn hold my arm I won't let you trip just move as fast as I am."

"Cory I am scared, don't let go."

"I won't let you go Aslynn. I will be right here for as long as I can." Cory whispered to her as they marched along.

When the line stopped they were at a fortress of sorts and as they passed through the doors they were pushed into individual cells with no windows.

Aslynn sat in a corner of her cell till she heard whispering causing her to feel the wall on the far side of her cell. "who is there?" she asked tentatively

"Names don't matter here, they are just going to assign you a code." Two voices came finishing off the sentence.

As the nights drew on Aslynn sat there and whistled the tune in the watch and let tears roll down her cheeks. The two in the cell next to her talked to her but they were fairly particular. They liked to talk about making things explode and how they were going to escape during their next work detail.

She told them how she was blind and her brother had been trying to get her to Corinth so she could live a better life. She talked about the tune she whistled and taught them how to whistle it.

"We are getting out of here tomorrow but as soon as we claim back our boom power we will come and break you and your brother out of here." the two voices promised

At some point during the night Aslynn fell asleep and when she awoke there was a tag on her shirt and she could only guess it was the code the two voices had talked about.

"G-78 come here now!" a voice said at her door she looked up at the point where the voice had originated and stood up before following the command where she was hooked into a chain of people.

She listened and smelled for her brother but he wasn't anywhere in her lineup.

They took her outside where they unchained people and she heard people get to work moving something heavy.

"G-78 begin working or you will be punished." A robotic voice commanded from all around her causing her to turn around to try to figure out where the voice came from.

A strange voice shouted at her to move so she moved a few steps over but tripped over something. When she sat up something shiny was flashing bright light into her eyes which caused her to put her head back down and wince as hard as she could.

From another work camp she heard an uprising which the protester sounded like Cory. But she didn't have time to listen to what he was saying because she was soon yanked off the ground and taken roughly back to her cell. At least she had comfort in the fact that Cory was still in the same prison.

It wasn't too long before there was clanking and the noise indicated that they were putting her neighbors back into their cells however when they came to the door that had had the twins in it, the twins didn't go in instead a prisoner titled D-44 went in.

She started whistling when D-44 knocked on the wall, "Aslynn are you alright?"

"Cory! Yes I am, at least for right now, they said I was going to get punished for not working." She said to him.

"Yes I am going to get punished as well. I assisted in an uprising which allowed two members of my work party to escape." Cory frowned, "I wonder what our punishment is going to be."

Aslynn didn't know how long they sat talking through the wall. But there was some clanking and she was grabbed roughly from where she sat and by the sound of it so was Cory. The two of them were led to a room that echoed like it was big and stripped of their clothing after which she was strapped to a table.

Cory wasn't too far from her as she could feel his fingers brush hers before he was strapped down to his table.

What followed next was the most agonizing pain she had ever felt. The machines poked her and inserted things she couldn't see into her body causing her veins to burn with white hot pain. After she was released from the table she was wrapped roughly up in a robe and returned to her cell. She could hear Cory in his whimpering from pain as well.

She didn't know how long they were laying there but eventually the pain started to reside she dragged herself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. "Cory can you hear me?"

"Yes I am here, but my body feels really strange. How do you feel?" Cory asked

"My body feels like someone put weights in it. Do you still have the watch?" she leaned her head against the wall.

"Yes, do you still have the key?" Cory asked

Aslynn put her hand to her neck to feel for the chain, "Cory it is gone. I failed Gramps." She sobbed

"No you didn't fail him, he said the clasp on that chain has always been loose." Cory said back to his sister, "We will find it some day, some how."

"I sure hope you are right. What do you think they did to us?" Aslynn said feeling her skin but not feeling anything out of place with how she was supposed to feel.

"You guess is as good as mine, I can't see anything visibly wrong with me though it felt like they ripped me to shreds back there."

"Do you have any idea how much time has passed?" Aslynn said listening for the sounds of the prison.

"I don't know, but I think it was at least twenty-four hours."

Aslynn didn't reply back as a robot walked in and placed something by her feet. After the door had clicked shut she felt for the items and found that it was a dried piece of bread and a cup of water. "Cory do you have bread and water?"

"Yes they just left it in my cell, it looks safe to eat. And the water looks clean."

"I guess they don't want us to die but they don't want us to thrive either." Aslynn sighed as she bit at the bread.

The next day they didn't take her but they took Cory out to the work fields with the rest of the prisoners and brought him back. They just left Aslynn in her cell to pace back and forth. This went on for a few days of forcing her able eyed brother to work along the rest of the prisoners if each time they took them were a day then they had been there about a week at best guess.

After all the prisoners were brought back to their cells and given the rations soldiers came a dragged Aslynn out of her cell and from her best guess back to the room where they had been the last time. They strapped her back to the table and by the sound of it Cory was also getting strapped down however he was fighting it as much as he could.

When they were both strapped down they heard a voice that sent shivers down her spine.

"Are these the two subjects who have withstood the first phase of the experiments?"

"Yes Master Venjix G-78 and D-44 have withstood and even gotten stronger in the last week. Though D-44 is potentially worrisome with how aggressive he can be."

"Perform step two, if they are still of viable interest in a month bring them to me."

"Yes master"

Aslynn held her breath as she heard the robots approaching her again but heard them go to Cory first. The humming noise they made was quickly replaced by his blood curdling scream. The only time she had heard that scream before their capture had been when they had both been little and Cory had fallen from a tree.

She winced as she prepared for them to come to her. no sooner then she tried to ignore the sounds then they were on her. the pain was far more intense then the first time around and no sooner had the pain started when she felt her consciousness fading away from her.

She awoke to Cory scratching on the wall next to her cell. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like my body is a lead weight. Have you figured out what they are doing to us?" Aslynn whimpered as she dragged herself to the side wall.

"Tell me about it, the guards woke me up this morning to make me go out to the job sites. I was in so much pain trying to move. I think they know you aren't much good out in the job sites. They never attempt to take you out there."

"I think they know I am blind. The guards leave my rations right close to me." Aslynn said as she felt the floor where the bread and water was normally left for her.

"Lucky they leave mine by the cell door." Cory tried to joke.

"Don't try to make me laugh Cory, I hurt too much to laugh. How long do you think we were out this time?"

"Well it is hard to talk to people out there but from the amount of work done at the job site indicate that we were probably out for three or four days."

"So we have been here for almost two weeks?" Aslynn frowned as she did the math. "If we had stayed at home and if the evacuation transports did indeed come for our town we could be in Corinth by now. You never answered me do you know what they are doing to us?"

"I am sorry but I still have no clue Aslynn. I look normal to myself and no one out at the work camps seem to notice anything different about me."

"When I rub my hands over my skin everything seems normal as well. There aren't any visible signs of swelling or incisions of any sort. It is just deep in my muscles and bones that ache." Aslynn said as she brushed her hands over he skin. "I am going to try to walk around my cell."

"Be careful at least in my cell the floor isn't even." Cory advised as he heard Aslynn hold onto the wall and walk along the wall.

"Do you know if we are in the same cells as before?" Aslynn asked as she paced along the wall feeling the floor out.

"I think we are though the first cell I was in was identical to the one I am in now." Cory answered back "Do you know why I was originally put into another cell?"

"There were these two crazy people who talked about explosions and escaping here the first night." Aslynn whispered just loud enough for Cory to hear.

"Oh the two I helped escape the first day at the work camps?" Cory muttered, "I sure hope they made it. They said they knew how to get their hands on enough firepower to free us and that they would come back for us."

"Do you think they will come back?" Aslynn asked back.

"I don't know but we can hope they will."

"How does the morale of the other prisoners seem?"

"Ehh they are weak and losing hope they will ever see Corinth. I feel my hope of seeing Corinth diminishing as well."

"Cory don't lose hope, we will see Corinth. We must get to Corinth someday, just remember this and hold it close to you. getting to Corinth is a priority, even if you get out of here and can't take me you need to get yourself inside Corinth's walls."

"We will both get to Corinth, If I have to go there by myself I will be miserable and I will form a troop to come and get you. but before I attempt to go there myself I will do everything in my power to get you there with me."

"Cory do what you have to. I will get to Corinth someday, I will hear and smell the clean are of the protected city one day.

The time passed slowly, Cory told her there were no windows in the cell, just a vent on each of the walls above their heads. Cory told her when a day had passed though she was aware to a point because almost every day Cory was dragged out to job sites with the other prisoners and then brought back in the afternoon. To the best guess she stayed in that cell almost forty days.

It was approximately day forty when a moment came that they didn't drag Cory out with the other prisoners for work detail. Instead they came and unlocked her cell door and pulled her out. they chained her into a lineup of other people and marched her down the halls. She whistled a short tune as they marched to see if she could locate Cory.

"I am right behind you but don't make too much noise. They beat a person a few rows in front of us for talking to each other. We will talk when we get where we are going."

"What if they split us up again Cory?"

"Shh, they won't split us up, don't think that. We will stay together and we will get to Corinth one way or another."

As they walked Cory told her they were headed for a menacing structure.

"That must be Venjix's strong hold, the last time they had us in the torture room they were talking about bringing us here if we could hold up under phase two." Aslynn whispered

When they stopped a guard came and unchained the two of them before handing them off to another guard. Where they other prisoners went they would never know. But they were forced into the building and into a cell together.

"Aslynn we were the only two left here, they took the others." Cory whispered to her.

"what is our cell like?" she held out her arms and tried to feel the walls.

"It is smaller then the old ones and there is a bench on the back wall. There is a window on the door. I think we are alright for now." Cory rubbed her back as he guided her to the bench.

"Cory I am scared, I think Venjix may have been experimenting on us and that is why we are here at his strong hold."

"Well we will get out I will assure you of that." Cory said leaving her on the bench before pacing the room to get an idea of what it was like outside their door.

"There doesn't seem to be a guard outside our door and it looks like our dinner may be arriving, a robot with a tray is approaching the door. Come here I think we could make a run for it Aslynn."

Aslynn stood and made her way to her brother cautiously before hiding in a corner by the door. When the door opened she felt Cory push the robot down on the ground and drag her hastily out of the cell.

"Don't let go of me!" she whimpered as they walked as fast as they could down the hallway.

"I won't, We are almost out, I memorized the turns we took getting in here, we are almost out I promise."

However as much as Cory promised her she knew that just ahead was going to be waiting more of Venjix's soldiers. By now they would have found out that they had gotten out of their cell.

"We need to move faster, the robots are closing in on us." Cory started to move a bit faster but she trusted him and matched his pace however as they moved she heard the whining of the robots coming closer and before she knew it they had a barricade formed around her and were ripping her out of Cory's reach.

"Hmm Trying to escape are we?" a voice approached the them. "Venjix warned me of how aggressive it has been reported you can be D-44. From here we will just take G-78."

"Stay away from her, she has done nothing to you."

She felt the floor shake and felt the heat from a blast, they had just fired an energy weapon at her brother causing him to lay on the floor. Before she could check on him robots came all around her and started to lead her away.

They forced her to walk by pushing her, she often bumped into objects as they walked but she heard robots firing weapons and heard Cory behind her running her way trying to get to her.

"Your too late D-44!" the sinister voice came from her side and she felt a strong hand on her side and then she didn't feel any floor under her feet. She however felt a strong hand that she recognized at Cory's holding onto her hand in a last ditch attempt to save her from whatever lay at the bottom of the shaft.

"Don't let Go!" she screamed up to him and he held on however her hand was slipping and she knew it.

Over all this she heard the voice she had heard a month before, Venjix.

"Take D-44's memories I need to know why he is so insistent on this other invalid girl."

At last she slipped and fell down the shoot but as she did she heard another voice "Thanks for the memories D-44"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Waking up to the bright sunlight a man stood up. he had no idea where he was or who he was.

"Your awake?" a gruff voice said coming over to him.

"Where am I?"

"I don't know where we are." I found you in the sand about a month ago. I can only guess you were trying to get to Corinth."

The man looked at the other man, "What is Corinth?"

"Corinth is the last haven for our people, it isn't safe out here for you." the person handed him a small amount of water.

"What about you?"

"I don't trust people and would rather stay out here and try to fend for myself. But resources are low and you are young, you are exactly the type of person they want in Corinth. You will be able to keep the world going if they ever get rid of this stupid computer virus." The man frowned. "I will help you get the supplies you need to get to Corinth, I know where there are some good raiding points that haven't been touched yet."

"Thank you. Any help you can give me would be appreciated."

"What should I call you?" the man asked him, "My name is Bruce."

"I don't have a name, at least I don't have one that I can remember. My mind is a blank slate."

"Well I will call you Dillon, you look like my son Dillon."

"Thank you I think." The man tried to stand up.

"Oh be careful, I had to reset your leg after I found you, it was badly broken."

"It doesn't feel any different, I just feel a little dizzy." The man said stretching his leg as he moved about the enclosure.

"Now that you are awake, we need to move, I have been in this spot for far too long, why don't you help me pack this stuff up into the wagon and we can move onward towards getting you supplies and on your way to Corinth."

The man looked at the older man before nodding and packing up the mans ancient station wagon, how he knew it was a station wagon he didn't know, it just sort of came to him.

As they were done packing up Bruce came over to the man, "Dillon you may want to take this. When I first found you I didn't know if you were going to live so I took this off of your neck. But I don't like stealing from people who are still alive."

"Thanks. I don't know what it is but thanks." The man flipped it over and examined it, "I don't know what it is but I feel it is something important to me. Thank you for giving it back to me."

"Dillon why don't you get into the passenger seat and we will be on our way." The man obliged and watched as the desert went on for miles and as they moved on there was a thick cloud ahead. "Dillon under your seat should be two air masks can you hand me one? And you should put the other on, it isn't safe to breathe the air ahead, it has been poisoned by Venjix."

The man reached under the seat to pull the two masks out before putting one on his own face he handed the other over to Bruce.

"We will camp when the air is clean enough to breath without these masks." Bruce nodded as he placed the mask over his mouth silencing his conversation.

After the clouds cleared and they had driven for several miles Bruce stopped the car and read the poison levels on a meter he pulled out from between the seats. Only when the readings were in the green did he take his mask off. "We should be safe here for a few days and there is one of the junk yards I told you about, you should be able to find a car with some keys still in the ignition and we might be able to find gas in the other cars."

The man nodded as he gazed out among the cars and other abandoned junk. His eyes landed on a beaten up car. Making his way over to it he found that the keys were in the ignition. Sitting in the seat he turned the key but the car didn't make any noise.

"Dillon there is a car over here that has keys and it looks promising enough to be able to get your to Corinth." Bruce called from the other side of a junk pile.

"Bruce I think I found the car I want but it will take a few days to fix it up. I don't know how but I think I know how I can fix the car." The man called over as he looked it over. The back of the car contained several empty gas containers and the car seemed like him a loaner lost with out any identity.

"Well it looks like a right good car for you son, it looks like it could go fast if you need it to."

"I am going to need to find gas, there are empty gas canisters in the trunk."

"Take your pick, most of the cars around here have some gas in them. I think I even saw a car over there that has some clothes in it, they might fit you better then that robe thing you are wearing now."

The man walked over to the car Bruce had pointed to and found a box of clothes including two pairs of jeans and some tee-shirts. After he had changed and grabbed the spare clothes he walked back to where Bruce waited for him.

"Dillon I found this and I thought you may want this as well, it isn't quite my style but it looks like it would suit you and keep you warm, the nights get chilly out here." Bruce threw a leather bundle at the man.

The man took the jacket and put it on before going over to the car he had picked out and opened the hood.

Bruce walked over to him as he checked all the connections and oil levels. "You mean to say, you understand all that stuff but yet you don't know your name?"

"Yeah, for some reason when I look at something like this car I understand how to work with it and do the things needed but I don't know how or why I know."

"Well what ever works for you kid, I am going to see if I can scrounge up some dinner for us and set up camp for the night. I will call you over for dinner when it is ready."

Before dinner was ready the man got the car running but after looking it over and taking it for a quick spin he decided he wanted to upgrade it a slight bit and make it run faster and better. he knew he could make the car stronger and he was set on being able to do just that.

When dinner was ready the man made his way to Bruce's campsite. "Hey Dillon I saw you drive that thing, you are pretty good, I will give you the directions tomorrow to get to Corinth and then you can go on your way."

"I am actually going to wait and make some upgrades on the car before going to Corinth, is it alright if I stick with you for a while, while I upgrade the car?"

"You will have to find your own food and water but I won't mind having some company for a few days."

"I think I can live with those accommodations, tomorrow I will go look in the other cars and we can get gas out of the cars here.

four months later and six raiding attempts of abandoned car lots later the man who answered to the name Dillon but didn't identify himself as that took out on his own to try and find Corinth but was back a month later after driving in several circles.

"Dillon what are you doing back here, I thought I told you to head in the direction the radio told you to find your way to Corinth." Bruce looked up from his campfire.

"I followed those directions but I couldn't find it, I searched three times. I didn't mean to wind back up here, I just sort of saw you and decided to pull up to see how you are managing.

"Dillon you should head on away from here and try your hardest to find Corinth city. I feel like there has to be something keeping you out here. You have always seemed hesitant about going on alone."

"I don't remember anyone being out here with me. But I admit I feel hesitant about leaving the wastelands for the safety."

"Maybe the reason you don't remember is because of a traumatic event that happened to you? you should just go on to Corinth because you aren't going to do whoever you unconsciously want to protect out here where Venjix could kill you." Bruce shook his head, "All the circling you have made is wasting the gas you managed to find and store up."

"I know I should head to Corinth but every time I feel I am on the right track I don't find the city and I end up turning around." The man shook his head as he looked at the miles of sand.

"Well you are here why don't you stay the night, I have some extra soup on the fire." Bruce handed the man a bowl and pointed at his fire.

As they sat around eating Bruce packed up his car, "I am moving on in the morning. this campsite has outspent its use."

As the fire died down Bruce looked at the man, "Dillon time to hit the sack. You should hit the road by the break of dawn yourself."

The man awoke after a few hours to find Bruce still asleep about five feet from him. He knew it was still early but knew that Bruce wanted to get a move on it right before sunrise so he took advantage of the mysterious factor that neither of them had ever figured out about the fact that he didn't sleep more then three or four hours at a time. By the time the sun rose up above the sky the man had buried the fire pit and made it look like no one had ever been at the campsite other then the two cars sitting there.

It was in the first light that the man decided something was up with his friend. He went over to wear Bruce laid to find his skin cold and that he wasn't breathing. He knew that Bruce was dead, but it startled him to find the man who had helped him get back to health was now gone.

He sat there and looked towards Bruce's car, Bruce had always said never steal from those who were alive. Bruce was dead now though and would want his belongings to go to good hands. so the man sorted through Bruce's car and took the extra gas and food and anything that looked useful to him.

He then headed out as soon as he could to find Corinth with a renewed spark. Bruce wanted him to go to Corinth and now he was utterly alone. He knew that before he could find whatever was trying to keep him in the wastelands he needed to fulfill Bruce's dream that he get to this Corinth city.


End file.
